Meal Planning

Happy Monday, everyone! This week is starting off to a sunny, humid, and unseasonably warm end-of-summer start here in Dixie and as there’s no better way to start a week off than a well-thought out meal plan I can’t wait to share with you all what we will be having this week!

This week’s menu will again reflect a little bit of a change. For the past six months, we have made a point of eating our freezers down to zero. Now we will be switching gears and making a priority out of eating down our home pantry stockpile. So this week’s menu, in lieu of making individual meals, we are using up pantry staples for the bulk of this week’s menu. Also, this menu is designed to feed our family of three for one week. 

Here’s what we will be having this week:

Monday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Olive spread, with crackers, grapes, and almond milk. 
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Pioneer Woman Veggie Stir Fry, served with brown rice. 
Dessert: Strawberry, stevia, and almond milk smoothies.

Tuesday
Breakfast: Avocado, Banana, and Almond Milk Smoothies.
Lunch: Olive spread, with crackers, grapes, and almond milk.
Snack: Grapes and String Cheese.
Dinner: Taco Salad and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Strawberry, organic cocoa, and almond milk smoothies.

Wednesday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Grilled cheese sliders, grapes, and Crystal Light lemonade.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Easy Instapot Chili with brown rice, corn on the cob, and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Strawberry, stevia, banana, and almond milk smoothies.

Thursday
Breakfast: Avocado, Banana, and Almond Milk Smoothies.
Lunch: Pumpkin Mac and Cheese, steamed broccoli, and Crystal Light.
Snack: Grapes and String Cheese.
Dinner: Lasagna Roll-Ups, green beans, and tomato and cucumber salad.
Dessert: Strawberry, organic cocoa, and almond milk smoothies.

Friday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Grilled cheese sliders with grapes and almond milk.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Crosant Veggie Pizza and crystal light.
Dessert: Strawberry, organic cocoa, and almond milk smoothies.

Saturday
Breakfast: Granola Cereal with Strawberries and Almond milk.
Lunch: Grilled cheese and almond milk.
Snacks: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Chicken mole, served with steamed rice, corn, and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Strawberry, organic cocoa, and almond milk smoothies.

Sunday
Breakfast: Banana pancakes, strawberries, and almond milk.
Lunch: Grilled Spaghetti, green beans, and Crystal Light.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Grilled Spaghetti leftovers, green beans, and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Strawberry, organic cocoa, and almond milk smoothies.

Please note: I was provided free coupons to try VitaTop products. All opinions are my own. Thank you

Happy Monday, everyone! This week is starting off to a sunny, humid, and unseasonably warm start to the back-to-school season here in Dixie! What better way to start the school year off right than a zero-waste meal plan I can’t wait to share with you all what we will be having this week! This week’s menu will again reflect my family eating our freezers and pantry down to zero. We are also once again packing bento box lunches for the kiddo and husband this week. 

This week’s bento box will look like:

Largest compartment: Salad or sandwich. I love to pack Caprasi sandwiches (beefsteak tomatoes filled with basil and mozzarella slices) which sit on top of a fresh pile of romaine lettuce. I pack a small container of vinegarette for those who enjoy dressing on their salad as well.
Compartment 2: 1/4 cup whole grain pasta with chopped onions, peppers, cantaloupe (for sweetness). Salt and pepper to taste. 
Compartment 3: 1/2 cup fresh berries.

A few quick tips:

• Prep your ingredients ahead of time. Cut, peel, wash the veggies, boil the pasta, quinoa or rice, and prep your dressing.
• Bentos keep in the fridge up to three days. 

This week we will also be trying out a few new breakfast items early in the week courtesy of VitaTop muffins. They are a delicious way to pack extra veggies, vitamins, and minerals into your family’s breakfast. We’ll be enjoying them this week and I encourage you all to check them out as well. I love the blueberry Vitatops and my family loves the deep chocolate variety as well! 

Here’s what we will be having this week:

Monday
Breakfast:  Blueberry VitaTops with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Olive spread, with crackers, grapes, and almond milk. 
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Spicy Thai Noodles and Sunbutter Sauce, steamed broccoli, and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry, stevia, and almond milk smoothies.

Tuesday
Breakfast: Deep Chocolate VitaTops with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Olive spread, with crackers, grapes, and almond milk.
Snack: Grapes and String Cheese.
Dinner: Mexican Jar Salad and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry, organic cocoa, and almond milk smoothies.

Wednesday
Breakfast: Avocado, Banana, and Almond Milk Smoothies.
Lunch: Grilled cheese sliders, grapes, and ice water.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Deconstructed Sushi Salad and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry, stevia, banana, and almond milk smoothies.

Thursday
Breakfast: Avocado, Banana, and Almond Milk Smoothies.
Lunch: Pumpkin Mac and Cheese, steamed broccoli, and ice water.
Snack: Grapes and String Cheese.
Dinner: Cruciferous Jar Salad with Asian Sesame dressing and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry, organic cocoa, and almond milk smoothies.

Friday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Grilled cheese sliders with grapes and almond milk.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Rainbow Mason Jar Salad and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry, organic cocoa, and almond milk smoothies.

Saturday
Breakfast: Granola Cereal with Blueberries and Almond milk.
Lunch: Grilled cheese and almond milk.
Snacks: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Asian Noodle Salad and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry, organic cocoa, and almond milk smoothies.

Sunday
Breakfast: Banana pancakes, strawberries, and almond milk.
Lunch: Baked Spaghetti, green beans, and ice water.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Italian Orzo Salad and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry, organic cocoa, and almond milk smoothies.

And, are you looking for a great back-to-school cookie recipe that can be eaten for breakfast, snack, or dessert? Then you’ve got to try my Knock-Your-socks-Off Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies! They are the softest peanut butter cookies I’ve ever tasted. They contain organic coconut sugar gives them a warm caramel layer to their base that’s so good. They are vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free yet every bit as decadent as their traditional counterparts! And pair amazingly with, you guessed it, a tall, cold glass of plant-based milk. Check them out here!

Happy Monday, everyone! This week is starting off to a sunny, humid, and unseasonably warm start to the back-to-school season here in Dixie! What better way to start the school year off right than a zero-waste meal plan I can’t wait to share with you all what we will be having this week!

This week’s menu will again reflect a little bit of a change. For the past six months, we have made a point of eating our freezers down to zero. Now we will be switching gears and making a priority out of eating down our home pantry stockpile. As with last week’s plan, this week’s menu will seek to utilize excessive pantry staples to feed our family of three for one week. Mind you, I will be continuing on with my Personal Trainer Foods 28-Day meal plan, so leftovers will be rolled into additional meals as needed.

Here’s how I make them:

Layer 1: Add 1/8 cup of your favorite dressing.
Layer 2: Add 1/2 cup of your favorite Summer veggies. Think tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, asparagus, celery, peppers, carrots; these veggies act as a sog-proof barrier between your dressing and your other ingredients. 
Layer 3: Add 1/4 cup beans, lentils, peas, or corn.
Layer 4: Add 1/8 cup boiled eggs, cheese, or nuts and tofu. 
Layer 5: Add 1/8 cup rice, pasta, quinoa, or couscous.
Layer 6: Add 1/2 cup greens; cabbage, lettuce, spinach, kale, or arugula.

A few quick tip:

• Prep your ingredients ahead of time. Cut, peel, wash the veggies, boil the pasta, quinoa or rice, and prep your dressing.
• Jars keep in the fridge up to one week. 
• Another fun way to pack these salads is in a stainless steel tiffin or lunchbox. Zero-waste lunches at their finest! 

Here’s what we will be having this week:

Monday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Olive spread, with crackers, grapes, and almond milk. 
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Peach Tomato Basil Salad and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry, stevia, and almond milk smoothies.

Tuesday
Breakfast: Avocado, Banana, and Almond Milk Smoothies.
Lunch: Olive spread, with crackers, grapes, and almond milk.
Snack: Grapes and String Cheese.
Dinner: Mexican Jar Salad and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry, organic cocoa, and almond milk smoothies.

Wednesday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Grilled cheese sliders, grapes, and ice water.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Deconstructed Sushi Salad and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry, stevia, banana, and almond milk smoothies.

Thursday
Breakfast: Avocado, Banana, and Almond Milk Smoothies.
Lunch: Pumpkin Mac and Cheese, steamed broccoli, and ice water.
Snack: Grapes and String Cheese.
Dinner: Cruciferous Jar Salad with Asian Sesame dressing and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry, organic cocoa, and almond milk smoothies.

Friday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Grilled cheese sliders with grapes and almond milk.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Rainbow Mason Jar Salad and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry, organic cocoa, and almond milk smoothies.

Saturday
Breakfast: Granola Cereal with Blueberries and Almond milk.
Lunch: Grilled cheese and almond milk.
Snacks: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Asian Noodle Salad and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry, organic cocoa, and almond milk smoothies.

Sunday
Breakfast: Banana pancakes, strawberries, and almond milk.
Lunch: Baked Spaghetti, green beans, and ice water.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Italian Orzo Salad and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry, organic cocoa, and almond milk smoothies.

And, are you looking for a great back-to-school cookie recipe that can be eaten for breakfast, snack, or dessert? Then you’ve got to try my Knock-Your-socks-Off Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies! They are the softest peanut butter cookies I’ve ever tasted. They contain organic coconut sugar gives them a warm caramel layer to their base that’s so good. They are vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free yet every bit as decadent as their traditional counterparts! And pair amazingly with, you guessed it, a tall, cold glass of plant-based milk. Check them out here!

Meal planning can be hard. Especially during the hustle and bustle of the upcoming back-to-school season. Especially when you are trying to prepare healthy meals for your family at home. So today I want to share a little secret with you. Even though this week is starting off to a sunny, humid, and unseasonably warm start here in Dixie, I’m taking this week to create freezer-ready meals for later this fall during the back-to-school season! And as there’s no better way to start a week off than a well-thought out meal plan I can’t wait to share with you all what we will be having this week why not combine our usual meal prep and planning with an easy-to-make freezer cooking session too!

Also, this week’s menu will again reflect a little bit of a change. For the past six months, we have made a point of eating our freezers down to zero. Now we will be switching gears and making a priority out of eating down our home pantry stockpile. As with last week’s plan, this week’s menu will seek to utilize excessive pantry staples to feed our family of three for one week for a total of $38.91.

As with last week, for the next few weeks, I will be experimenting with themed menus for the last ten weeks of Summer. This week’s theme: Dutch oven dinners. While it may seem contradictory to cook in your dutch oven in Summer, I find it a real cost-effective way to dine this time of year. I use my cast iron dutch oven on my gas grill’s propane side burner. Each dish is cooked on low. I check each dish hourly with a preset timer, and if needed, add vegetable stock to keep ingredients from sticking to my oven.

An added bonus? As my family is away this week, and I’m currently consuming a 28-day meal plan from Personal Trainer Food, I’ll be able to prepare and cook the follow planned meals in my dutch oven and freeze them for quick back-to-school meals later this fall. So for me, the cast iron (I’m aiming for zero-waste cooking, after all) Dutch oven presents easy-to-fix, affordable, low-meal that’s table ready in 1-2 hours, which is a win-win in my book! 

Now to turn each meal into a freezer ready meal, I simply cook each meal, allow it to cook for one hour, and then pack the meal into labeled freezer-ready Pyrex lidded baking dishes. I’ll cook all six meals over the course of two days and then I’ll have a week’s worth of meals ready for the fall. This is also a great time to check your freezers and pantries for staples that need to be used up and to organize your pantries too. Now let’s look at this weeks meal plan.

Here’s this weeks freezable meal plan:

Monday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Olive spread, with crackers, grapes, and almond milk. 
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Dutch Oven Chicken with Lemongrass and Coconut Milk with steamed broccoli and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry and banana smoothie jars.

Tuesday
Breakfast: Avocado, Banana, and Almond Milk Smoothies.
Lunch: Olive spread, with crackers, grapes, and almond milk.
Snack: Grapes and String Cheese.
Dinner: Braised Coconut Spinach & Chickpeas with Lemon and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Peach and pineapple smoothie jars.

Wednesday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Grilled cheese sliders, grapes, and ice water.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Vegan Curry Cauliflower Soup and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry and Banana smoothie jars.

Thursday
Breakfast: Avocado, Banana, and Almond Milk Smoothies.
Lunch: Pumpkin Mac and Cheese, steamed broccoli, and ice water.
Snack: Grapes and String Cheese.
Dinner: Dutch Oven Baked Risotto with Peas & Asparagus and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Peach and pineapple smoothie jars.

Friday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Grilled cheese sliders with grapes and almond milk.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Braised Chicken, Steamed Rice, Corn, and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry and Organic Cocoa Smoothie jars.

Saturday
Breakfast: Granola Cereal with Blueberries and Almond milk.
Lunch: Grilled cheese and almond milk.
Snacks: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Dutch Oven Southwestern BBQ Chicken, steamed corn, and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Peach and pineapple smoothie jars.

Sunday
Breakfast: Banana pancakes, strawberries, and almond milk.
Lunch: Baked Spaghetti, green beans, and ice water.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Chicken Tagine with Apricots, Almonds & Chickpeas over steamed rice and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Strawberry and Organic Cocoa Smoothie jars.

Happy Monday, everyone! This week is starting off to a sunny, humid, and unseasonably warm start here in Dixie and as there’s no better way to start a week off then a well-thought out meal plan I can’t wait to share with you all what we will be having this week!

This week’s menu will again reflect a little bit of a change. For the past six months, we have made a point of eating our freezers down to zero. Now we will be switching gears and making a priority out of eating down our home pantry stockpile. As with last week’s plan, this week’s menu will seek to utilize excessive pantry staples to feed our family of three for one week. This week’s menu total is $34.87 and this week’s theme: Summer Crockpot dinners.

Here’s what we will be having this week:

Monday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Olive spread, with crackers, grapes, and almond milk. 
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Meatless Monday Slow Cooker Veggie Omelette with steamed broccoli and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Fresh Strawberries and Stevia Lemonade.

Tuesday
Breakfast: Avocado, Banana, and Almond Milk Smoothies.
Lunch: Olive spread, with crackers, grapes, and almond milk.
Snack: Grapes and String Cheese.
Dinner: Slow Cooker Summer Chowder and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Fresh Peaches and Pineapple and Stevia Lemonade.

Wednesday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Grilled cheese sliders, grapes, and ice water.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Slow Cooker corn-on-the-cob with chili lime butter, Turkey Burgers, Steamed Brocolli, and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Fresh Strawberries and Stevia Lemonade.

Thursday
Breakfast: Avocado, Banana, and Almond Milk Smoothies.
Lunch: Pumpkin Mac and Cheese, steamed broccoli, and ice water.
Snack: Grapes and String Cheese.
Dinner: Crock Pot Thai Steak Salad and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Fresh Strawberries and Stevia Lemonade.

Friday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Grilled cheese sliders with grapes and almond milk.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Crock Pot Chicken and Black Beans with steamed rice, corn, and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Fresh Strawberries and Stevia Lemonade.

Saturday
Breakfast: Granola Cereal with Blueberries and Almond milk.
Lunch: Grilled cheese and almond milk.
Snacks: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Asian Slow Cooker Lettuce Wraps and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Peach and pineapple smoothie jars.

Sunday
Breakfast: Banana pancakes, strawberries, and almond milk.
Lunch: Baked Spaghetti, green beans, and ice water.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Slow Cooker Salmon, steamed rice and broccoli, and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Fresh Peaches and Pineapple and Stevia Lemonade.

Happy Monday, everyone! This week is starting off to a sunny, humid, and unseasonably warm start here in Dixie and as there’s no better way to start a week off then a well-thought out meal plan I can’t wait to share with you all what we will be having this week!

This week’s menu will again reflect a little bit of a change. For the past six months, we have made a point of eating our freezers down to zero. Now we will be switching gears and making a priority out of eating down our home pantry stockpile. As with last week’s plan, this week’s menu will seek to utilize excessive pantry staples to feed our family of three for one week. 

Now for a small surprise! For the next few weeks, I will be experimenting with themed menus for the last ten weeks of Summer. This week’s theme: Instapot dinners.

Here’s what we will be having this week:

Monday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Olive spread, with crackers, grapes, and almond milk. 
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Instapot Easy BBQ Ribs with steamed broccoli and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Smoothie jars.

Tuesday
Breakfast: Avocado, Banana, and Almond Milk Smoothies.
Lunch: Olive spread, with crackers, grapes, and almond milk.
Snack: Grapes and String Cheese.
Dinner: Pressure Cooker Pot Roast, steamed green beans, and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Smoothie jars.

Wednesday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Grilled cheese sliders, grapes, and ice water.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese, steamed broccoli and carrots, and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Smoothie jars.

Thursday
Breakfast: Avocado, Banana, and Almond Milk Smoothies.
Lunch: Pumpkin Mac and Cheese, steamed broccoli, and ice water.
Snack: Grapes and String Cheese.
Dinner: Instapot Pork Chop with Mushroom Gravy, Steamed rice, green beans, and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Smoothie jars.

Friday
Breakfast: Pecan Cinnamon Muffins with almond milk and grapes.
Lunch: Grilled cheese sliders with grapes and almond milk.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Instapot Chilli, steamed rice, corn, and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Smoothie jars.

Saturday
Breakfast: Granola Cereal with Blueberries and Almond milk.
Lunch: Grilled cheese and almond milk.
Snacks: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Instapot Carnitas, steamed corn, and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Peach and pineapple smoothie jars.

Sunday
Breakfast: Banana pancakes, strawberries, and almond milk.
Lunch: Baked Spaghetti, green beans, and ice water.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Instapot General Tso’s Chicken, steamed rice and broccoli, and Stevia Lemonade.
Dessert: Smoothie jars.